Due to the war against Hamas in Gaza, the calls to not allow Israel to participate this year in "Eurovision", which will be held in Malmo, are intensifying.
In 2018, everything was still relatively fine in the Eurovision Song Contest universe, which the rules define as a "non-political event".
That year, Israeli singer Netta won the contest in Lisbon with her brilliant calls for diversity and self-confidence, making Tel Aviv the host city of Eurovision in May 2019.
Smaller pro-Palestinian demonstrations took place that same year, around this popular event, but received little attention, considering the thousands of Eurovision fans who simply wanted to party in Tel-Aviv.
In the evening of the final, the Icelandic group "Hatari" appeared on stage holding pro-Palestinian banners, violating the rules of the Festival. The Icelandic broadcaster, RUV, had to pay a fine of 5 thousand dollars to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes this international competition.
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Performing at the festival that same evening, Madonna asked a dancer wearing an Israeli flag and another wearing a Palestinian flag to climb the stairs side by side during her act. The American superstar later said it was a "message of peace and unity".
Although the contest rules specify that any promotion of political messages is prohibited, the rule has been repeatedly broken in the past.
Last year's event in Liverpool, hosted by the United Kingdom on behalf of Ukraine, displayed blue and yellow flags in solidarity with the country, which has been subject to Russia's war of aggression since February 2022. Meanwhile, Russia has denied participation in the competition for the last two years.
Given the war in Gaza, some countries are now questioning Israel's participation in the so-called "Eurovision" event.
About 1 Finnish musicians have joined pro-Palestinian artists and activists in Finland, signing a petition calling for Israel to be excluded from the Eurovision Song Contest.
They stated that "it is not in accordance with our values that a country that commits war crimes and continues military occupation, is given a public stage to clean its image in the name of music".
A similar campaign was previously organized in Iceland. In Norway, according to local media reports, demonstrators from the "Aksjonsgruppa for Palestine" (Action Group for Palestine) gathered in front of the headquarters of the NRK television station in Oslo and demanded that Norway also support the exclusion of Israel.
In Ireland, a Labor MP publicly called for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest if Israel continued to compete. As Ireland has been the most successful country in the history of this festival, he thought that his call would be followed by other participants. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar opposed the boycott, however, stating that determining Israel's participation in Eurovision was a matter for the EBU.
British Eurovision candidate Olly Alexander has signed a pro-Palestinian statement from a queer alliance, calling the events in Gaza an "escalation of Israel's apartheid regime in Israel". The Israeli embassy in London immediately reacted: "Especially at this time, the decision of the BBC to send a participant to Eurovision who espouses such partial views of Israel and promotes such dehumanizing language of Israelis is a cause big to worry about”.
The Israeli ambassador to Sweden also expressed his views: “On October 7, Israel was brutally attacked by a vicious terrorist organization. Promoting the boycott of Israel is supporting the acts of Hamas, is awarding terrorism and is incompatible with the values of the (European Broadcasting Union) and the event."
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Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union, Germany and the United States, among other nations.
Meanwhile, the EBU has reiterated that "Eurovision" is apolitical, the Broadcasting Union has also rejected accusations that it has double standards, saying that the Russian attack on Ukraine cannot be compared to Israel's actions in Gaza.
Israel made its Eurovision debut in 1973. At that time, the event was still called the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson.
Israel is not the only non-European country participating in the competition. Armenia and Azerbaijan are also participating. Belarus made its debut in 2004, but was suspended in 2021 because the song they wanted to perform mocked the protests against authoritarian ruler Alexander Lukashenko.
Australia has been the "most exotic" Eurovision country, participating since 2015. It joined because it already had a large fan base in the country, and is now an associate member of the EBU.
The association groups many radio stations and countries across European borders, that's why the event is called "Eurovision Song Contest", and not the European Song Contest.
Israel is one of the most successful participants in the competition, having won the competition four times to date, and coming second or third four times. This country has also never finished in last place, unlike Germany.
Despite the war in Gaza, preparations for Israel's participation in Malmo are underway. The casting show HaKokhav HaBa: The Future Star, in which candidates auditioned for Eurovision, was postponed due to the outbreak of war, but is now being staged again, albeit irregularly and without a live audience. : a production with so many people. In a television studio it was considered too dangerous.
Coincidentally, among the singers participating in the show was a lieutenant who died in the Gaza Strip just weeks after his TV appearance.
The Israeli media and social media questioned whether such a display was appropriate in wartime. Among the main critics of the spectacle are the relatives of the hostages who are still detained by Hamas.
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This Israeli spectacle will continue for now, although organizers claim it is less lively and enthusiastic than usual. The showrunners explained that this will not be a normal season; will suit the situation. "But we're sure a little music can only help."
(Taken from DW)
